Kite bags

[Mick14]

If you're like me, a lot of thought goes into the design/selection of appropriate bags for your new kites. As far as I'm concerned, there are 2 criteria I like the bag to follow:

1. The bag should be big enough to fit the kite in it with the minimum amount of disassembly or tight rolling.

2. The bag is calibrated to the kite's ideal wind range. When you take out the kite and drop the bag, if the bag doesn't blow away then the wind strength is below the ideal range for that kite.

[andy666]

Haha, I like point 2. Although the durability of a big kite bag may be negatively effected trying to make the bag light enough to blow away in 8 knots of wind. Maybe copy pansh's ripstop drawstring bag

Personally I would like the kite bag heavy enough that it doesn't blow away, rather then having to fill it with sand, so it's there at the end of the day.

[SoutherlyBuster]

Bag should be comfortable to wear, ie like a backpack. Consider the situation where you've arrived by airplane at your favourite kiting spot and minimal transport. If you need to walk or ride a bike to get from your accomodation to kiting spot, then the bag should be able to hold the kite(s) plus your board and still be comfortable to wear. Let's say you want to hike to your kiting spot, same applies.

Bag should have a waist strap so if worn whilst kiting will not flop about. I some times do this at Sandy Point, to take a smaller or bigger kite in case the conditions change and your 7 km away from your starting point.

[Slartibartfast]

Personally I'd prefer the bag to just be a simple stuff bag (like a sleeping-bag bag or what Panch use).

Of course a quality backpack is only nicer, but how many of then do you really need? And how much do they increase the cost of a new kite by? Surely there must be $50 worth of bag in there at least. Do you remember the "Aztec" bag that actually came with built in speakers for you to plug your Sony Walkman into - in case you really wanted to listen to your tunes while kitting but for some reason hated wearing headphones (I guess)

Personally I'd prefer to save the money and just have each kite in it's own stuff bag and load them all into a giant gear bag. If I wanted to take say three kites with me then I'd load the three I wanted, still in there stuff bags, into a regular backpack. As much care and effort manufactures seem to put into there bags there never going to be as good as a well designed backpack and if ergonomics is what your after I'd recommend a trip to you local camping supply store rather than the kite shop

Edit: Of course it's different for large de-powers.

I had a 13m PL Venom (great kite) that clearly wouldn't fit in a backpack. It basically came with it's own hiking rucksack which was fair, but for your average fixed-bridal a stuff bag is all that's really necisary.

I'd be interested to know what consumers would chews if you could buy say a 5m HQ Toxic with a stuff bag for $450 or for $510 (the current listing price on Briskites) get it with the backpack. I think I would save the coin myself but I suspect most, given they'er laying out half a grand would still opt for the backpack, even if it adds 10%.

Hmm, actually now that I think about it I think the Toxic comes in a stuff back anyhow... but the point still stands.

[ssayre]

I agree, is rather save the money and have stuff sacks so they would all fit in a larger gear bag.

[lostdaplot]

I'm another one that agrees I guess. The quality of the bag was something that I considered yes, till I got sick of carting 3 (FB(the usual number I take to a site)) kite bags around, plus another bag with everything else; not to mention the times I misjudged the winds and ended up with the wrong kites on site. Recently bought a huge duffle bag plus a bunch of luggage straps and sacks akin to pillow cases. Now each kite has its own luggage strap and sack to keep everything wrapped up in one place. All of them go into the duffle/gear bag and I can fit 6-8 kites into the bag if necessary-and it has wheels. It has simplified my world immensely.

Still like a quality kite-bag and there may be that rare occasion where I will use them, but for the most part, I'll just have a wardrobe full of empty kite-bags.

[Mick14]

There is a 3rd criteria... Different colour to any other kite bag of similar size in my collection. Makes finding easier and avoids carrying the wrong one to the beach.

[andy666]

Good point. Many manufactures use different colour cloth for different size kites for easy identification. Why not colour match the bag to the kite inside of it?

Flysurfer were doing this for a while with the early speed 3's. green, blue, red bag. 12m, 15m, 19m.

[mik333]

Have two Peter Lynn dry bags, one blue, one black. Three smaller foils go in the blue one and three larger foils in the black one. A bag fits behind the buggybags seat on my PL buggy.

This gives me extra weight in front of the back axle and I am never stuck down the beach with the wrong kite.

Although, on occasion, the wind drops and I have the trek to the car to get the big kites.

You can't have it all unless you have a partner and a dog to guard the goodies on the beach.

Michael

[Clive]

1 bag per kite is good, everything is packed individually, I don't want to stuff a wet or sandy kite in amongst clean dry well folded ones.

I have a couple of large plastic boxes which hold 10 or so kites which can be loaded onto a buggy and carted to the beach, can be left at the starting point padlocked to keep the goodies somewhat safe, you can always put a couple of large plastic bags inside and fill them with sand to make the box too heavy to lift easily.

Landboarders...... Tough luck, get a buggy

[SoutherlyBuster]

Landboarders...... Tough luck, get a buggy

No problemo, just wear the extra kite on your back. Have done this plenty of times at Sandy Point.

[andy666]

I don't want to stuff a wet or sandy kite in amongst clean dry well folded ones.

When I first started kiting I used to wash and dry my kites and shake the sand out. Then I realised that everything is made from synthetic materials and mould doesn't grow in salt water.

[mik333]

Clive

I didn't explain fully. The kites in the dry bag are packed in their own bags, so there are no contamination issues. It helps that Century 2s have light bags that are a tight fit and not rucksacks, such as Blades.

Michael

[Mick14]

I just realized today you can use the Flexifoil Blade back-pack bag as a harness. Just join the waist strap to the 2 shoulder straps using a large carabina, and you have a handy 3 point upper torso harness (and a back-pack).

Does anyone else do this? I tried it on the small sizes in moderate wind, and still took some of the weight on the handles. May not be strong enough to support buggy + pilot weight in strong wind, but it could be reinforced.